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Grammar Instruction to Improve Writing • Why? • What? • How? Presented by Amy Benjamin Engaging Grammar: Practical Advice for Real Classrooms (NCTE, 2007) I teaching grammar. “I’m not sure I’m right.” I never learned this. Takes away from real writing instruction “Not interesting. Not fun.” “Doesn’t transfer. Doesn’t stick.” “Rigid.” “Too negative. It’s like math. 1. Grammar is a system of making sentences out of parts. The parts have to match (agree): Number (singular or plural) Gender (masculine, feminine, neutral) Case (subjective, objective, possessive) Tense (past, present, future) 2. Writers and speakers place the parts in a certain order and that order affects the impact of the message. 3. The two main parts of language are nouns and verbs. Everything else either modifies nouns or verbs or joins words, phrases, and clauses. What should the study of grammar accomplish? 1. Better communication between teachers and students about language 2. Understanding the rhetorical effects of grammatical choices: What can a sentence do? How can I be in control of my sentences? The Basics I Phrase Group of words, either noun + modifiers or verb + modifiers; not both Clause Noun + verb (plus their modifiers) Sentence Clause that can stand alone The Basics II Noun: I can put “the” in front of it (and it makes sense) It will answer this question: What? Noun Phrase: A noun + its modifiers • the big bad wolf • the big bad wolf with the green hat • the big bad wolf with the green hat that we saw jaywalking across 52nd Street Adjective: I can fit it into the frame “The _______ truck(s).” It will answer any of these questions: Which one? What kind? How many? The Basics III Verb: I can put “he” in front of it. or I can put “must” in front of it. The word that changes when I say “yesterday” or “right now” is the verb. Verb Phrase: A verb + its auxiliaries see have seen will be seeing, should have seen, etc. Adverb: It will answer any of these questions: Where? When? Why? In what manner? To what extent? Declarative Interrogative Can you put It is true that…. in front of it? Exclamatory Does the group of words tell you Who or what? and What about it? Imperative Complete Sentence Can you turn it into a yes/no question? Can you add a “Stick-on” question? The bicycle as a metaphor for what makes a complete sentence: Subject Wheel tells: Who or what? From An Easy Guide to Writing by Pamela Dykstra (McGraw Hill) You can find the complete PPT for this metaphor at: http://www.ateg.org/grammar/tips/bike.ppt Predicate Wheel tells: What about it? Prepositional Phrases How can we teach them? Why should we teach them? Why learn to identify prepositional phrases? Vary sentence structure Develop time and place dimension Punctuate introductory elements Eliminate redundancy Achieve subject-verb agreement Create parallel structure lovely the princess the lovelythe princess of princess Romania When the frog the lazy frog the laziest frog in the bayou kissed , he turned into a handsome prince. a charming, handsome prince a charming, handsome prince who had no outstanding debts. Noun phrase expansion standing over the fish bowl the pink adventurous adventurous pink IT in the kitchen Use of Modifiers • Why should we teach modifiers? • How should we teach modifiers? EXPANSION OPPORTUNITY SUBJECT VERB Her mother seemed SUBJECT COMPLEMENT to know the truth. EXPANSION OPPORTUNITY SUBJECT VERB Her mother seemed SUBJECT COMPLEMENT to know the truth.. ,although Hatsue didn’t know it, Subordinate Clause EXPANSION OPPORTUNITY SUBJECT VERB SUBJECT COMPLEMENT Her mother seemed to know the truth.. ,dark with rage, Adjective + Prepositional Phrase EXPANSION OPPORTUNITY SUBJECT VERB SUBJECT COMPLEMENT Her mother seemed to know the truth.. ,shrinking with age, Adjective (Participle) + Prepositional Phrase EXPANSION OPPORTUNITY SUBJECT VERB Her mother seemed SUBJECT COMPLEMENT to know the truth.. ,a traditional and stoic woman, Appositive (additional noun information) EXPANSION OPPORTUNITY SUBJECT Their marriage VERB SUBJECT COMPLEMENT had <largely> been ,she understood after Carl was gone, about sex. Verbs • Why should we teach them? • How should we teach them? Welcome to Verb Land, USA Why Teach Verbs? Strong verbs energize writing. Writers must decide on a consistent verb tense. 3. Writers must decide whether to use active or passive voice. 4. Errors in verb usage are highly stigmatized: Incorrect form of irregular verbs (*I seen, *brung, *have went, *have sang, etc.) 5. Whether we have an action verb or a BE verb determines pronoun case use and adjective/adverb use. Base form: walk, sing Progressive form: walking, singing Past form: walked, sang Participial form: (have) walked, (have sung) Verb Land, USA Active Voice: I stole the cookie from the cookie jar. Passive Voice: The cookie was stolen from the cookie jar by me. (BE + Participial form= passive voice) TO BE: I am,was We are,were You are ;were He, she, it is They are,were Sense Verbs: Verbals: feel, look, sound smell, taste 1. Participle: (acts as adjective) ACTION TOWN ACTION verbs are modified by adverbs:She sings happily. the dancing bear; the stolen cookie 2. Infinitive: (acts as noun, adj. or adv.) Let us never fear to negotiate. The law to reduce noise has passed. We went to London to see the queen. 3. Gerund: (Acts as noun) Teaching makes me happy. ACTION verbs take objective case pronouns as objects: We saw him steal the cookie from the cookie jar. Auxiliaries: Modal Auxiliaries: Would Will Have: creates the perfect tenses Should Shall Could May (has sung, etc.) Can Might Be: creates the Must progressive tenses (am singing, etc.) Auxiliaries and modal auxiliaries combine with action verbs to create various tenses. Also: seem, become, appear grow BE TOWN BE verbs are completed by adjectives: He is happy. BE verbs take subjective case pronouns as complements: It was I who stole the cookie from the cookie jar.